Ionomycin

Ionomycin is a potent and selective calcium ionophore derived from Streptomyces conglobatus (Liu et al.). It is used as a research tool to rapidly raise the intracellular level of calcium, and to study calcium transport across biological membranes by inducing the release of cytosolic calcium stores (Morgan & Jacob; Yoshida & Plant). Ionomycin is a more effective Ca++ ionophore than A23187, but less effective at binding and carrying Mg++ (Liu & Hermann). Ionomycin is able to activate and prime the polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) oxidase (Elzi et al.), and is used in conjunction with Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA; Catalog #74042) for the activation of T cells (IC₅₀ = 5.8 nM; Caraher et al.; Zhang et al.). This product is supplied as a 10 mg/mL solution in ethanol.

IMMUNOLOGY

• Activates T cells from human, mouse, or rat sources, in combination with PMA, to express cytokines including IL-17, IL-4, IL-10, and IL-2 (Caraher et al.; Harrington et al.; Parrish-Novak et al.).